2024 Big East Preview
UConn baseball is going for its fourth straight league regular-season crown.
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UConn baseball’s reign as dual Big East champions reached an end last year, but they still got one and Jim Penders’ squad is the favorite to top the league.
The Huskies swept the league’s regular season and tournament titles in both 2021 and 2022 after returning from the American Athletic Conference and snagged first place in the 2023 standings, as well.
However, with a 3-2 lead after eight innings in the winner-take-all title game, UConn pitching ran out of gas and Xavier scored four in the ninth to secure the hardware.
However, Jim Penders’ squad expects to be at the top of the standings again, as the Huskies were a near-unanimous favorite to four-peat. Second-place Xavier received two first-place votes in this year's coaches poll.
Xavier
After losing to UConn two years in a row in the Big East Tournament final, the Musketeers vanquished the Huskies and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017, after finishing 39-25 and 15-7 in the Big East. Xavier made the Nashville Regional final, but couldn’t defeat Oregon.
Jack Housinger, who had a tough 2023 after being named preseason player of the year is gone, as is Andrew Walker (.325/.407/.494), but the rest of the starting nine is back and there are three all-conference performers spread across the infield in second baseman Jared Cushing (.284/.342/.500), first baseman Matt McCormick (.309/.421/.552) and third baseman Grant Stephenson (.236/.310/.330). McCormick and Stephenson were unanimous selections, while Cushing and McCormick were listed as a top 50 player at their position by D1Baseball.com.
Luke Hoskins (7-2, 4.48 ERA) is back and on the preseason all-conference team, but is the only member of the rotation that returns. Nick Boyle (1-2, 7.36) is the only other returning arm with more than one start last year. Justin Loer (6-3, 1.89) was D1Baseball.com’s No. 23 transfer, as he defected to LSU, leaving a big hole at the back end of the bullpen. Jonathan Kelly (3-4, 4.66) was fifth in innings and will be back. No other player on the 2024 roster threw more than 20 innings in 2023.
Seton Hall
The Pirates haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2011, but they have been a player in the Big East, as making the conference tournament each year but one since 2011. They finished 31-24 in 2023, which was the first 30-win campaign since 2018, and were third in the conference.
Seton Hall also has some top performers departing, as two of its four .300 hitters in Alex Clyde (.324/.387/.400) and Oscar Murray (.319/.451/.518) each graduated, in addition to three other starters that are no longer in South Orange.
The Pirates slashed .291/.382/.419 as a team in 2023 and like many other Division I teams last season, slugged their way to victory. While the pitching wasn’t poor, it was very patchwork, as just Daniel Frontera (2-3, 6.09) made a full complement of starts. The remaining 41 outings went to eight different players, five of which are returning.
All-conference shortstop Max Viera (.319/.372/.486) will be back in blue this year as one of two members of the preseason all-league team, as well as reliever Ryan Reich (1-1, 2.51). Another bullpen arm, Michael Gillen (1-0, 0.34), was named to D1Baseball.com’s top 50 reliever list.
The offense is still going to be ahead of the pitching. In addition to Viera, Devin Hack (.313/.409/.369) will be at the top of the lineup, while Staus Pokrovsky (.295/.374/.516) can drive the ball. On the other side, Anthony Ehly (1-0, 2.53) may be trusted with a rotation spot after four starts in 2023, while tall right-hander Richie Cimpric (1-0, 3.68) and Cole Hansen (4-1, 3.75), who was fourth in innings) each will return.
Creighton
Several arms have graduated and transferred for Creighton, but according to D1Baseball.com’s Fall Report, longtime head coach Ed Servais feels as though pitching will be the strength of this year’s team, which was picked in a tie for fourth in the Big East after missing the conference tournament in 2023.
Dominic Cancellieri (2-3, 5.43), who is on D1Baseball.com’s top 150 starting pitchers list and the preseason all-Big East team, headlines the group and looks to be a key part of the weekend rotation. The report also highlighted Cade Lommel (0-7, 13.50), who was on the 2023 preseason all-Big East team, as someone who has made changes and could be a factor, as well as Division II transfer Chad Saner (6-1, 3.56).
Nine pitchers threw more than 20 innings for Creighton last year and just three are back, however, so it may be a rocky ride to start.
The Bluejays’ offense struggled in 2023, with a .255/.359/.389 slash line, despite a positive offensive environment around the country. However, most of the team’s top hitters are back, with just Sterling Hayes (.303/.416/.436) among the starters that hit above .260 that won’t be back in Omaha.
That means that preseason all-league performer Jack Grace (.295/.364/.519), as well as Hogan Helligso (.314/.400/.458), Nolan Sailors (.271/.366/.443) and Nolan Clifford (.262/.372/.377) will form the nucleus of a lineup that Servais hopes improves and propels a return to postseason play.
Georgetown
The Hoyas proved that 2022 was no fluke as the Edwin Thompson era is off to an excellent start, with the program’s only top-150 RPI finishes and 30-win seasons. They should only grow as they have a new ballpark in Tysons, VA, that should help recruiting and perhaps improve from where the coaches picked them, in a tie for fourth.
The offense will continue to succeed, with three hitters on D1Baseball.com’s top positional lists. All-league performer, Owen Carapellotti (.289/.380/.556), Michael Eze (.290/.414/.502) and Jake Hyde (.320/.390/.608) each made an appearance on the catcher, shortstop and outfield lists, respectively. They, along with Christian Ficca (.271/.367/.433) represent the four returning qualified hitters from 2023, of six total. Derek Smith (.317/.397/.559) also has come over from Bryant. He’s one of two transfers, along with Josh Rolling (.261/.317/.473) from Sacramento State.
Pitching is where Georgetown could falter. The only qualified pitcher from last year’s team, Jake Bloss (8-4, 2.58) is gone, though Cody Bowker (1-1, 2.57) is on the all-Big East team and D1Baseball.com’s top 150 starting pitchers list, joined in the latter by Everett Catlett (1-4, 7.48). He and Andrew Williams (3-4, 4.61) are the only returners that contributed more than 40 innings, though two solid starting pieces is a good beginning for a team on the rise.
St. John’s
The Mike Hampton era at St. John’s hasn’t gone swimmingly. His three full seasons at the helm following Ed Blankenmeyer’s departure at the end of the season have resulted in a 25-38-1 Big East record and zero conference tournament appearances. The Red Storm went to 11 NCAA Tournaments and one Super Regional in Blankenmeyer’s tenure (1996-2019) and the program continued its status as a Northeast power that his two predecessors established, with six College World Series appearances.
St. John’s was voted sixth in the Big East and they’re missing some crucial pieces from last year’s offense, which was one of the better groups in the country, slashing .296/.401/.457. That includes David Glancy (.284/.411/.597), Austin Machado (.303/.495/.455), Aaron Mann (.371/.462/.548) and Tate Ballestro (.288/.413/.513), who is now at Wake Forest.
However, the cupboard isn’t totally bare for Hampton, as qualified hitters Jace Jeremiah (.220/.286/.274), Marty Higgins (.310/.369/.462), Paul Orbon (.338/.433/.504) and Jackson Tucker (.294/.388/.425) are all back on Utopia Parkway, though none of them made the preseason all-conference team.
Joe Mascio (3-3, 4.68) is back on the mound after leading the Red Storm in innings, while Xavier Kolhosser (3-0, 2.56) made nine starts and had a WHIP below 1.00, albeit without going deep into games at less than four innings per outing. Hampton will need to find some more pitching to compete in the Big East this year.
Butler
The Bulldogs have been in the Big East basement for the past two seasons, but are projected to finish seventh by the coaches, though it remains to be seen if they can stay in the top 200 of the RPI for the first time since 2018, with just five seasons above that mark and one above No. 150 since 1999.
Joey Urban (.296/.364/.480) led the Bulldogs’ six qualified hitters in batting average and slugging percentage, while he was second behind Xavier Carter (.269/.376/.379) in on-base percentage. Urban is the program’s only preseason all-conference performer. They’re two of the returning regulars, along with Jake DeFries (.253/.340/.376) and Carter Dorighi (.293/.360/.383).
Only one other hitter in Keegan Connors (35 at-bats) exceeded .250 and the team was one of the worst in the country offensively. A few transfers in AJ Solomon and Ethan Vercumba have come in, but they played sparingly at their previous stops.
Only two arms gave Butler more than 40 innings in Corey Bosecker (1-8, 5.20) and Lukas Goldoni (0-3, 6.86). Both are gone, though senior Cole Graverson (2-5, 6.98) was right on 40 frames, with two starts and 18 bullpen appearances.
There were only three pitchers with an ERA below 5.00 and Ben Whiteside (1-0, 4.64) is all that remains. The opposition hit .301 against the Bulldogs and unless some players are able to take a step forward, 2024 might spell similar trouble.
Villanova
Villanova hasn’t had many successful years, with no NCAA Tournaments since 1991, and with just eight points from seven coaches, 2024 doesn’t seem like it will be a return to glory in Philadelphia.
Hometown kid Jack O’Reilly (.303/.409/.503) will anchor the lineup as a graduate student, joined by returning regulars AJ Hansen (.243/.373/.410) and John Whooley (.265/.376/.379). John’s brother Michael (.303/.364/.370) is due for a role increase after a solid freshman campaign, contributing 119 at-bats. Villanova didn’t get enough contact throughout the lineup and were with Butler toward the bottom of the nation with a .243/.347/.372 slash line.
The cupboard is similarly bare on the mound. Eleven pitchers combined to make 51 starts and no arm with more than an inning had an ERA below 5.00 or a WHIP below 1.40. Devin Rivera (2-7, 5.84) was the only full-time starter and will be back, but Cade Udell (1-6, 6.47) and Graham Moore (0-0, 9.77) are the only other pitchers with more than two 2023 starts on the 2024 roster.